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It was with deep sadness that we heard of the passing of Mrs Jude Fox, Principal of Flagstone State Community College last week. Our thoughts are with Jude’s husband and family at this time, and also with the students, staff and community of the college. I have been a colleague of Jude’s for over 8 years now, and always found her to be a most dedicated and committed principal, who loved her job, and who had a great fondness for her school and school community. She will be sadly missed.

South East Region Inclusive Practices Review

This Friday 2/11 and Monday 5/11 we will be having a review team visit the school from Education Queensland, and meet with the school leadership team, teachers, support staff, students, and some parents. They will undertake conversations in regards to the school’s inclusive practices. We pride ourselves in ensuring all students have access to high quality learning opportunities as this is the key to success for all students.

“Preparing every student to move beyond the school gate and successfully transition to work or further study is everybody’s responsibility. Teachers, school leaders, students, parents and industry are partnering to make sure every student has a pathway to participation in the knowledge-based economy. A diverse curriculum, underpinned by literacy and numeracy is the key to setting students up for the changing world. We are supporting students to be digitally savvy, creative and critical thinkers, and active and informed citizens with intercultural competence.” (Department of Education Strategic plan 2018-2022).

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering. Mathematics)

In preparation for 21st century learning Flagstone State School will be providing specialist instruction in STEM tuition next year. Mrs Tammie Ward-Hawkins will be teaching STEM. Regular classroom teachers will still teach science, math and technology however STEM lessons will compliment these with Digital Technologies. This will contribute to helping our students to keep up with this rapidly evolving and changing area of the curriculum. Mrs Amaya Ries (Ms Coit) will continue to teach ICT to all students in the school as per the Australian Curriculum.

NAPLAN results 2018

We achieved our best ever NAPLAN results in years 3 and 5 this year achieving a relative gain well above the nation. This means Flagstone State School’s average improvement rate was higher than the Nations average improvement rate. It is exciting to see this as we all know that what is important is that every child improves -and continue to improve- in their learning outcomes throughout their schooling. Tests like NAPLAN combined with our A to E school based results give us a picture of where our students are at, and where we need to improve in terms of achievement. The picture this year has been very positive and I trust will continue in this vein. This is a tribute to all students and staff who work so very hard at all times to get this result.

Prep Play Area

The newly turfed prep play area with a new sandpit will be ready for our prep students to play on in the next couple of weeks. The shed has also been moved to ensure an unobstructed play area with better visibility for supervision. Thank you for your patience in keeping students away from the roped off area since the turf was laid in the holidays. This, and the very welcome rain has ensured that it has got off to a very good start.

White Ribbon Day Celebrations

The school will celebrate being a White Ribbon School on Friday 23 November. All staff and students are encouraged to wear white to school. We will begin with a brief assembly in the hall at 1pm where we will be entertained by some dancers and the choir. Following this the school (prep to 6 students and staff) will walk out of the hall onto Coachwood Drive, along Poinciana Drive, and into the school via the staff carpark where we will form the shape of the white ribbon symbol. A drone will take a photo and this will be used to show the community that Flagstone State School supports the White Ribbon ethos. Police will close the road for this short time and escort us on our march. The oath for White Ribbon supporters is “I will stand up, speak out and act to prevent men’s violence against women. This is my oath.” You are invited to support the white ribbon cause and take the oath by signing the White Ribbon Book on the counter at the office.

As the school continues to grow in size the days seem to be
getting busier and probably are. School numbers are now 735 and continuing to
rise – we are having enrolment enquiries almost daily. I am currently in
discussion with facilities about the inevitable construction of a new building.
Just when this will eventuate is not yet determined but the school, now in its
20th year has grown to be almost at capacity in terms of buildings. I
will keep the community informed of progress about this as it comes to hand.

Staffing

Year 2D now have a new Friday teacher, Ms Brooke Gordon. Ms
Gordon takes over from Mrs Buckley (who was on a 5 week contract) and is very
committed to this position. She will work alongside Mrs Normington, the regular
classroom teacher Monday to Thursday.

Facilities

The school canteen refurbishment is on schedule for the
September school holidays. This was partly funded by the P & C and I would
like to thank Jen Noordzy our P & C president, and the rest of the committee,
for their tireless commitment to fundraising, and working towards always making
our school a better place. Thank you also to all of you who support our
fundraising events. P & C meetings will now be held on the last Thursday of
the month at 4:30pm in the sports hall. Please come along and meet others from
our school community, hear the latest news about the school, and have a say in
school matters. The next P & C event is The Spring Fair.

The Spring Fair and
20 Year Celebrations

Don’t forget our spring fair being held on Saturday 15
September from 2pm. Celebrating 20 years since the school was founded we will
have rides, activities, entertainment, fireworks, food stalls and more.
Organised by our P & C this is an event not to be missed. More information
on our web page.

Learning/Curriculum

Our school dance group who learn under the tuition of Ms Dremel
performed at the Beenleigh Eisteddfod this month. While not taking out a place
they danced beautifully and were a credit to our school. Congratulations to all
students and Ms Dremel.

Last weekend Flagstone State School had 5 teams entered in
the Regional Optiminds Challenge. We did not win a place but a lot of fun was
had by all teams leading up to and including the challenge. Mr Meier and
several of our teachers gave up a lot of time to facilitate these teams who
represented the school with pride. Congratulations and thank you to all
facilitators.

Book Week was celebrated last week – Mrs Wilson and Mrs Salo
organised and ran this. It was a huge success with many students dressed up as
a book character. Lots of staff dressed up as well and also had a lot of fun. Competitions
were run during the week also. The message that reading is not only very
important but a lot of fun was certainly evident during the week.

General

I have unfortunately had to ban dogs on school grounds due
to concerns about student safety with increasing numbers of dogs. I hope our
school community will continue to walk to school with their students and if
with dogs, can meet students at the fence. We have a very small and very
friendly ‘school dog’ who is owned by a staff member and is here some days.
Some students with disabilities and/or behavioural problems benefit by this dog
being here.

We held a ‘Fiver for
a Farmer Day’ a fortnight ago. Students and staff dressed up as farmers and
donated $5 or more for the privilege. This was donated to the Draught Relief
Fund and we raised over $2,600. This was an outstanding effort - thank you to the
school and Flagstone Community for your generosity.

The term ends on Friday 21 September, 2018 and term 4
recommences on Monday 8 October, 2018.

Welcome
all to term 3. I would like to especially welcome all new students and families
to our great school. I am sure you will find Flagstone State School both
welcoming and inspiring. Our school mission is to make Flagstone State School a place of learning for all by

·Providing an educational service

·Working in partnerships

·Focussing on the development and enrichment of
each child through inclusive and engaging delivery of the curriculum within a
learning community

Just
over one week into a new term and we have already had our junior and senior
school bands enter the Beenleigh Eisteddfod and receive 2nd and
third places respectably; and today we have 40 students at the District Sports
Carnival representing the school and doing their very best as always. Results
to follow. Congratulations to Mrs Gordon and all our instrumental music
students – well done. Also thank you to our parent helpers – you are very much
appreciated.

Next
week we will hold another whole school assembly on Tuesday afternoon at 2:15pm
in the hall. At this assembly we will be presenting our 2018 ALPHA students
with their badges. Please feel very welcome to come along to any of our
assemblies. Unless it is a special occasion and we announce a whole school
assembly the junior assembly is held on even weeks of term (weeks 2, 4, 6, 8,
10) and the senior school assembly on odd weeks (weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9). At these
assemblies student of the week awards are given out. If your child is receiving
an award on assembly they will be given a wrist band with details to wear home
to remind them to tell you in advance.

Last
Tuesday we held a special NAIDOC assembly. The theme this year was Because of her, we can! Mrs Serrurier spoke
about her personal traditions and aspirations and some of our students spoke
about inspirational Aboriginal women in their lives. Our guest speaker Brooke
Prentis spoke to the students about friendship and the importance of our
cultures moving forward together in friendship to make a better world.

20th Year Celebrations

·This year Flagstone State School is 20 years
old. To celebrate, as you are no doubt aware, we will be having a spring fair
on Saturday 15 September. Put this date aside and tell your family and friends.
We are looking forward to a wonderful day of celebration.

·MSP Photography (who take our school photos)
will be taking a whole school photo at 10:00am on Thursday 9 August using a
drone. MSP will be making it possible for you to also purchase a photo –
envelopes will be available at the office from next week. Price and details
will be posted on the web next week. Credit card preferred payment.

P & C News

The
next P & C meeting will be held on Tuesday at 6pm in the resource room.
Please come along and join us. New members welcome.

Last
year the P & C was successful in obtaining a grant for a refurbishment of
the school canteen. Quotes are now in for this and work should commence in the
September holidays.

EKKA Show Holiday

The
show holiday this year is on Monday 13 August.School will be closed on this day.

SCIENCE WEEK

Science
week is being celebrated this week. Mrs Bev Mortensen has again supplied her
extensive and impressive array of gems, artefacts, fossils, microscopic photos,
and historical treasures, - and displayed them in our conference room them for
all classes to view and enjoy and discuss. I would like to thank Bev for her
time and generosity in providing this wonderful experience for our students this
week and indeed each year.

Street
Science has also visited the school this week providing highly engaging and
creative hands on science activities that combine with scientific concepts and
knowledge. If there is ever an example of how learning can be fun this would be
it!

As
the term draws to an end – the last day of term being Friday 29 June – I would
like to wish all students and their families a very happy and relaxing mid-year
break. School resumes for term 3 on Monday 16 April.

Thank
you to those of you who have supported the school this term. I would like to
especially thank everyone who came along to support students on Under 8’s Day,
YAF Day, and at the junior and senior sports days. Special thanks also to Trish
our canteen convenor, and her supporters, including the Flagstone P & C
Association, for catering on these days. Thank you too to all of our volunteers
this term – you are very much valued and appreciated. We hope to see you back
next term.

Book
week was held this term and raised funds to purchase new resources for the
school library. Thanks to everyone who purchased books.

We
had NAPLAN testing for years 3 and 5 and look forward to our results next term.
Individual results are sent home with all students who participated once
received.

As
some of you will be aware there have been some unavoidable staffing issues this
term. It is never ideal for classes to have a change in teacher during the year
but unfortunately this is a reality we sometimes must deal with. Some positive
news for term 3 includes the appointment of Mrs Leah Normington on 2D as we
farewell Mrs Keegan Fysh who is going on leave.We wish Mrs Fysh the very best for the future and thank her for her
contribution to our school. We also welcome Mrs Elissa Skerry to 5D. Mrs Skerry
is looking forward to working with this class and will bring some stability for
the rest of the year after a semester of change. Our Japanese teacher Mrs
Natalija Denis-Picton is also going on leave and will be replaced by Ms Gillian
Bell. We wish Mrs Denis-Picton an exciting adventure in Japan as one of the
things she will be doing while on leave. Currently we are also looking for
another special education teacher and hope to have this position filled by the
beginning of term 3.

The
term is not over yet however and parent/teacher interviews are scheduled for next
week. Those meetings on Tuesday (26 June) will be held in the school hall.
Please make your way directly to the hall if you have an appointment on this
day. Other appointments will be in the student’s classroom unless otherwise
directed. Please note these interviews are for no longer than 15 minutes each
in order to get through the volume. If you require an interview longer than
this you will need to arrange this with your child’s classroom teacher.

Celebration
Day is Wednesday 27 June starting at 9:00am with prep ribbon awards presented
first, and working through the year levels to finish at approximately 11:00am
with year 6. Please come along and see you child be recognised for positive
behaviour and maybe 100% attendance.

20 Year celebrations. This year our school is 20 years old.
Celebrations are being organised by the P & C Association and will be held
on Saturday 15 September. Thank you to P & C President Jen Noordzy, Vice
President Kareen Duncan and all the P & C members for your time and effort.
On the celebration day there will be displays and performances by students;
food and drink sales; entertainment; fireworks; fun rides; and more. Don’t
forget my ‘Principal’s Kookaburra Competition’. Competitors are invited to
construct or create a kookaburra in any creative and innovative way. This could
include painting, modelling, construction, art or craft of any kind, sewing,
etc. Entries must be portable so not too large, and you can be as imaginative
as you like. There will be age divisions including an open category so anyone
can enter. The celebrations are only 12 weeks away so get that thinking cap on.

A
whole school photo will be taken by MSP photography as part of the 20 year
celebrations. This will be taken on 9 August at 10:00am. Please ensure your
child wears full school uniform including black shoes and white socks if
possible on this day.

NAIDOC
Day will be celebrated on Tuesday 24 July – more details early next term.

Last
week saw our year 3 and year 5 students sitting the National Assessment Program
Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. Students were focussed and generally very
relaxed about the testing. Our teachers did a great job of preparing students
as was clearly demonstrated in the way it was approached. Well done to all participating
students as well as teachers. I will share our school’s results with you when
we receive them, and parents/carers will receive their child’s individual report.

Term
2 is our busiest term of the year in terms of events and activities. Coming up
this Friday (25 May) we will be celebrating Under Eight’s Week and YAF. All
welcome. These events start at 12pm. The following Friday (1 June) is the
junior school sports day – prep to year 3. On the following Friday (8 June) we
will hold the senior school sports day – year 4 to year 6).Trials were held for this last Friday. Thanks
to Ms Caitlin Thompson our HPE teacher for organising and running this day so
efficiently. Please come along and cheer your child on at the sports days. The
canteen will be serving food and drinks.

Don’t
forget our 20 year celebrations later this year. A school fete is being held on
15 September. This is being organised by our wonderful P & C Association.
If you would like to contribute to ideas please come along to our next P &
C meeting to be held in the school conference room at 6pm on Tuesday 29
May.I am running the ‘Principal’s
Kookaburra Competition’ where entrants design a kookaburra – this could be in
the form of a sculpture, painting, poster, statue, craft, or any other creative
idea that you can come up with. Open to all age groups. More information about this
and the P & C is available on the Flagstone State School P & C Facebook
page.

Please
note that our school newsletter no longer exists. In keeping up with the times
we will be posting all updated news on this website. Topical notices are also
on our electronic noticeboard outside the school, and urgent notices will be
communicated by way of a note home or text message.

A Blog is a Web site designed to help you share information related to a particular subject area in the form of text, images, links, and other media such as video. Blogs can be used as team sites, news sites, journals, diaries, and more.

Blog posts usually consist of frequent short postings and are typically displayed in reverse chronological order (newest entries first). Blogs encourage site visitors to interact with one another by leaving comments on posts.

Blogs can be also be used as a team communication tool. Keep team members informed by providing a central place for links and relevant news.